The potential benefits of fish oil emerged from the observation that cardiovascular diseases and cancer incidence rates are generally low in eskimos of Alaska and Greenland. These populations have a diet high in fish and low in carbohydrates which is in contrast to the diets in Europe and North America.
Fish oil is the richest dietary source of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Fatty acids are the building blocks of dietary fats, and are stored substantially in the form of triglycerides. The body cannot however, produce these fatty acids and must obtain them from food sources or from supplements. Three fatty acids compose the omega-3 family: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). ALA is found in e.g. walnuts, some types of beans and olive oils. EPA and DHA are found in fish, including fish oil and supplements.
The omega-3 fatty acids are essential to life at any stage, even before birth. They are essential building blocks of the membrane of every cell in the body and their presence are a necessity for maintaining an adequate cell membrane. They do also contribute in the regulation of most biological functions. There is substantial epidemiological evidence that consumption of fish or of long chain n-3 polyunsaturated PUFA, especially EPA and DHA protect against cardiovascular disease in Western populations. Long chain n-3 PUFA lower fasting plasma triacylglycerol concentrations and reduce postprandial lipaemic response. Fish oil also provides anti-inflammatory and anti-aggregatory effects which play a crucial role in the treatment of atherosclerosis and thrombosis.
Even though convincing results have been presented where omega-3 has been employed in the treatment of different conditions, very limited data concerning omega-3 or fish oil in the treatment of cancer is available. It seems so far that the results are ambiguous.
The American Cancer Society declares however, that some promising results regarding fish oil and cancer have been presented and that these findings deserve further studies.
In one study a carcinogen-induced cancer model showed that a high intake of fish oil significantly lowered the cancer incidence in animal studies as compared to animals fed with either low fat diets or high oil corn diets (Welsch, C W. Cancer Res., 52:2040s-2048s, 1992).
In a review article by Gleissman H., et al., (Experimental Cell Research 316 (2010) 1365-1373), it is presented that conventional chemotherapeutics are considered “double-edged swords” as they kill cancer cells but also strike the healthy cells causing severe morbidity and sometimes also mortality. It is further discussed if omega-3 in this setting works as a “sword and shield”, by being cytotoxic to cancer cells, and at the same time protect healthy cells from these deleterious effects.
NO 324262 discloses a composition comprising low oxidized fish oil and juice in an oil-in-water emulsion.
From research leading to the present invention it was surprisingly found that the composition comprising low oxidized fish oil and juice in an oil-in-water emulsion could be used in cancer therapy. The results which are elaborated below showed decrease in cancer cell proliferation and increase in cancer cell apoptosis, as well as a delay in tumour development following treatment with a composition of the invention comprising fish oil and juice.